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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #418118
Research Project: Assessment of Sediment and Chemical Transport Processes for Developing and Improving Agricultural Conservation Practices

Location: National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory

Title: Clogging of reactive filters for phosphorus removal – a review

Author
item TABATABAEEFAR, AMIN - Polytechnique Montreal
item Penn, Chad
item COMEAU, YVES - Polytechnique Montreal
item CLAVEAU-MALLET, DOMINIQUE - Polytechnique Montreal

Submitted to: Journal of Environmental Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/29/2025
Publication Date: 2/5/2025
Citation: Tabatabaeefar, A., Penn, C.J., Comeau, Y., Claveau-Mallet, D. 2025. Clogging of reactive filters for phosphorus removal – a review. Journal of Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124386.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124386

Interpretive Summary: Excess phosphorus (P) transport to surface waters causes problems with drinking water treatment, ecosystems, and recreation. One of the largest sources of P transport to surface waters is domestic wastewater treatment systems. They rely on soil adsorption of P passing through traditional leach-beds. Tertiary treatment systems have been proposed for such systems to remove P before discharge to the environment. Reactive filters with steel slag show much promise of P removal with regard to utility and cost. However, one potential problem with slag filters in treating wastewater is clogging. This paper provides an extensive review of the different mechanisms of how slag filters can clog. It also presents, how to avoid clogging with proper design and operational strategies, and future research recommendations.

Technical Abstract: State of the art tertiary treatment technologies include reactive filters. However, clogging is a major factor which affects their performance. In the current study, our purpose was to review the efficacy of various reactive filters aimed at resolving clogging issues that affect phosphorus removal. Various aspects of clogging, including its origination and current regulatory strategies, were investigated and proposals leading to final recommendations were formulated. Our findings indicate that causes for clogging are divisible into two major groups as follows: operational factors; and formation mechanisms. Clogging control strategies, including initial reactor design, operational strategies, and clogging monitoring, are presented. Finally, general directions for future studies are suggested.